Oleksandra Avramenko: “The dairy industry has significant growth potential”

“Despite the war, the Ukrainian agricultural sector is demonstrating remarkable resilience, maintaining its key positions in the global market, while certain industries, particularly the dairy sector, have significant potential for growth,” noted Oleksandra Avramenko, Head of the European Integration Committee of UCAB, during the workshop “Ukraine’s Dairy Sector: Fostering Resilience, Sustainability, and European Integration”, which took place as part of the ANUGA 2025 international food exhibition.

The agri-industrial complex remains a cornerstone of the Ukrainian economy and a key source of export revenue. Ukraine continues to be one of the world leaders in the supply of sunflower oil, corn, and wheat. At the same time, our exports are not just raw materials: about 45% of our foreign shipments consist of high value-added products.

Looking at the dairy industry, the structure of dairy product exports changed somewhat in 2024: for the first time, powdered milk and cream took the largest share (29.1%), with cheese (21.2%) and butter (19.1%) also holding significant positions in the export structure. The geography of supplies has also undergone changes: although the EU market is currently one of the main destinations (almost 40% of exports), Ukrainian producers are striving to return to traditional markets in Asia and the Middle East.

Analyzing global trends, Ukraine ranked 15th in the export of powdered milk and cream with a value of $74 million, in a total international trade volume of about $17 billion. The current leaders are New Zealand (#1) and the European Union (#2), but Ukraine has significant potential to increase both production and exports, and can certainly enter the top 10 global exporters of powdered milk. The key consumers of Ukrainian products were the EU, Israel, Moldova, Lebanon, and Bangladesh. 

Cheese also remains an important export product: ranking 17th in the world with $54 million in exports, with the main markets being Moldova, Kazakhstan, the EU, the USA, and Azerbaijan. In the butter category, Ukraine ranked 12th, actively supplying products to Moldova, the EU, Azerbaijan, Israel, and Kazakhstan. We are also consistently in the top 20 global exporters of milk and cream, strengthening our positions in traditional markets and expanding our presence in new directions.

“However, it is worth noting that in 2024, the geography of dairy product sales narrowed: while in 2023 Ukraine exported to 92 countries, last year it was 86. This trend can be reversed through the further development of export destinations and the restoration of stable logistics routes. The full-scale operation of the ports of Big Odesa is extremely important, as this allows for an increase in the number of refrigerated containers, which are still in short supply. Under these conditions, cooperation with ministries and government bodies is essential to increase the volume of container shipments and return to our traditional markets—particularly to the countries of Southeast Asia, which were one of the key sales destinations before the full-scale invasion,” Oleksandra Avramenko concluded.